Mohammed Rafi was an Indian musician and playback singer. He is regarded as one of the Indian subcontinent’s best and most significant vocalists. Rafi was renowned for his vocal range and ability. He sang a wide variety of songs, including ghazals, bhajans, fast-paced pop tunes, patriotic songs, melancholic tunes, and love tunes.
He was renowned for his ability to mimic the actor’s mannerisms and demeanor while lip-syncing the song that was playing on screen in the film. Six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award were given to him. The Indian government bestowed upon him the Padma Shri award in 1967.
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Early Life of Mohammad Rafi
On December 24, 1924, Mohd. Rafi was born in Kotla Sultan Singh, a tiny Punjabi village. This is situated close to Amritsar. Haji Ali Mohammad was Rafi’s father. Mohammed Rafi belonged to the Muslim Bhatti Jatt family and was the second oldest of six brothers.
Rafi, also known by his stage name Pheeko, started singing by mimicking the chants of a fakir who would wander the streets of Kotla Sultan Singh, the village where he was born. In 1935, Rafi’s father relocated to Lahore and opened a men’s barbershop in Bhati Gate’s Noor Mohalla. Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo, and Firoze Nizami were Rafi’s teachers in classical music.
At the age of thirteen, he sang in front of K. L. Saigal in Lahore for the first time in public. Rafi made his Lahore playback singing debut in 1941 when he sang the duet “Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee” with Zeenat Begum in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, which was directed by Shyam Sunder for music. Rafi received an invitation to perform on All India Radio Lahore that same year. In 1945, he starred in his first Hindi film, Gaon Ki Gori.
Profile of Mohammed Rafi
- Birth Name: Mohammad Rafi
- Date of Birth: 24 December 1924
Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India - Spouses: Bashira Bibi, Biliquis Bano
- Children: 7
- Nationality: Indian
- Occupations: Playback singer, musician
- Instrument(s): Vocals, Harmonium
- Awards: Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer, BFJA Best Male Playback Award, National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
- Honours: Padma Shri (1967)
- Genres: Filmi, Bhajans, Ghazals, Qawwali, Shabad, Na’at, Classical, Nazrul Geeti, Comedy Music
- Died: 31 July 1980 (aged 55), Bombay, Maharashtra, India
- Years active: 1944–1980
Mohammed Rafi’s Personal Life
Rafi had two marriages: the first was to Bashira Bibi, his cousin, and it happened in his hometown. After her parents were killed during the Partition of India riots, his first wife moved to Lahore, Pakistan, and refused to live in India, ending their marriage. Bilquis Bano was the wife of his second marriage.
Rafi’s first son, Saeed, came from his first marriage; he had three daughters and four sons. Rafi enjoyed flying kites, playing carrom, and badminton. He avoided attending industry parties, abstained from smoking, and was a teetotaler. Rafi has a reputation for never leaving a meeting empty-handed. He made a positive impact on society by aiding others through his charitable work and noteworthy actions.
Mohammed Rafi’s Career
Mohammed Rafi recorded songs in numerous Indian languages, including Urdu and Punjabi, which he was proficient in, and in other foreign languages, for more than a thousand Hindi films. He recorded up to 7,000 songs in a variety of languages and dialects, including Tamil, Telugu, Magahi, Maithili, Assamese, Odia, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, and Konkani. He also sang in English, Farsi, Arabic, Sinhala, Mauritian Creole, and Dutch.
In 1944, Rafi relocated to Bombay, Maharashtra. In the busy downtown district of Bhendi Bazar, he rented a ten-by-ten-foot room with Hameed Sahab. Durrani for Gaon Ki Gori while Shyam Sunder was in Bombay. There were more songs after that.
Rafi and Naushad collaborated on the song “Hindustan Ke Hum Hain” with Shyam Kumar, Alauddin, and other musicians. He also recorded “Aji Dil Ho Kaaboo Mein” at about the same time as the 1945 movie Gaon Ki Gori.
Rafi had two film appearances. The songs “Tera Jalwa Jis Ne Dekha” from the 1945 film Laila Majnu and “Woh Apni Yaad Dilane Ko” from the 1947 film Jugnu featured him on screen.
He performed in the chorus of several songs for Naushad, including “Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, Roohi Roohi” from the 1946 movie Shahjahan, costarring K. L. Saigal. Rafi performed the song “Tera Khilona Toota Balak” from Mehboob Khan’s Anmol Ghadi (1946) and the duet “Yahan Badla Wafa Ka” with Noor Jehan from the 1947 movie Jugnu. Rafi chose to remain in India after the division and had his family flown to Bombay. After moving to Pakistan, Noor Jehan teamed up with playback vocalist Ahmed Rushdi.
Awards
Six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award were given to him. The Indian government honored him with the Padma Shri award in 1967. Hero Honda and Stardust magazine honored Rafi with the title of “Best Singer of the Millennium” in 2001. In a 2013 CNN-IBN survey, Rafi received the most votes for Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema.
Filmfare Awards
| Year | Song | Film | Music director | Lyricist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | “Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” | Chaudhvin Ka Chand | Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni | Won |
| 1961 | “Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko” | Sasural | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Won |
| 1961 | “Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin” | Gharana | Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni | Nominated |
| 1962 | “Aye Gulbadan Aye Gulbadan” | Professor | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Nominated |
| 1963 | “Mere Mehboob Tujhe” | Mere Mehboob | Naushad Ali | Shakeel Badayuni | Nominated |
| 1964 | “Chahunga Main Tujhe” | Dosti | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Won |
| 1965 | “Chhoo Lene Do Nazuk Hothon Ko” | Kaajal | Ravi | Sahir Ludhianvi | Nominated |
| 1966 | “Baharo Phool Barsao” | Suraj | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Won |
| 1968 | “Dil Ke Jharoke Mein” | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Won |
| 1968 | “Mein Gaaon Tum Sojaao” | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra | Nominated |
| 1969 | “Badi Mastani Hai” | Jeene Ki Raah | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1970 | “Khilona Jaan Kar” | Khilona | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1973 | “Hum Ko To Jaan Se Pyaari” | Naina | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Nominated |
| 1974 | “Achha Hi Huva Dil Toot Gaya” | Maa Bahen Aur Biwi | Sharda | Qamar Jalalabadi, Vedpal Varma | Nominated |
| 1977 | “Kya Hua Tera Wada” | Hum Kisise Kum Naheen | R.D. Burman | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Won |
| 1977 | “Parda Hai Parda” | Amar Akbar Anthony | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1978 | “Aadmi Musaafir Hai” | Apnapan | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1979 | “Chalo Re Doli Uthao Kahaar” | Jaani Dushman | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Varma Malik | Nominated |
| 1980 | “Mere Dost Kissa Yeh” | Dostana | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1980 | “Dard-e-dil Dard-e-jigar” | Karz | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
| 1980 | “Maine Poocha Chand Se” | Abdullah | R.D. Burman | Anand Bakshi | Nominated |
National Film Awards
| Year | Song | Film | Music director | Lyricist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | “Kya Hua Tera Wada” | Hum Kisise Kum Naheen | Rahul Dev Burman | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Won |
Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards
| Year | Film | Music director | Lyricist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Tumsa Nahin Dekha | O. P. Nayyar | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Won |
| 1965 | Dosti | Laxmikant–Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri | Won |
| 1966 | Arzoo | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri | Won |
Sur Singer Award
| Year | Film | Music director | Lyricist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Chitralekha | Roshan | Sahir Ludhyanvi | Won |
Honours
- 1948 – Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day.
- 1967 – Honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
- 2001 – Rafi was honored with the “Best Singer of the Millennium” by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine.
- 2013 – Rafi won the CNN-IBN poll for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema.
Controversy
Rafi got embroiled in a controversy regarding Lata Mangeshkar’s inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records during his final years. Rafi had disputed Lata Mangeshkar’s claim to have recorded the most songs in a letter dated June 11, 1977, to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Given that Rafi is the more experienced of the two, his supporters believe he would have performed in more songs than Lata. They calculated that Rafi sang anywhere between 25,000 and 26,000 songs. During a November 1977 interview with the BBC, Rafi stated that up until that point, he had performed 25,000–26,000 songs.
Shahid Rafi and Sujata Dev’s 2015 book, Mohammed Rafi – Golden Voice of the Silver Screen, claims that “industry sources” claim Rafi sang 4,425 Hindi cinema songs. According to a 2015 Manorama Online story, “researchers” have discovered 7,405 tunes that Rafi has sung.
Mohammad Rafi Death
Mohammed Rafi, who was 55 years old, passed away on July 31, 1980, at 10:25 p.m. after a major heart attack. Shortly before he passed away, he recorded “Aas Paas Hai Dost”.It was “Shehar mein charcha hai” from the same movie, according to another account.
With over 10,000 attendees, Rafi’s funeral procession was one of the biggest in India. He was interred at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. In his honor, the Indian government declared a two-day public mourning period.
Rafi’s tomb and the tombs of numerous other celebrities from the film business, including Madhubala, were demolished in 2010 to create room for new graves. Admirers of Mohammed Rafi, commemorate his birth and death anniversaries by going to his tomb twice a year.
Upshot
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra produced a double CD called Rafi Resurrected in the summer of 2008, which included 16 of Rafi’s songs. Sonu Nigam, a Bollywood playback singer, sang the lead vocals for this project. In July 2008, he went on tour with the CBSO, performing at the English National Opera in London, Symphony Hall, and Manchester’s Apollo Theatre.
Mohammad Rafi’s influence on Indian music is enduring, extending beyond the confines of space and time. He changed the playback singing scene with his unmatched vocal ability and adaptability, becoming the voice of several generations. His ascent from modest beginnings to superstar status is evidence of his relentless commitment and exceptional talent.
Rafi became a beloved figure all around the world because of his ability to effectively portray a wide range of emotions with his voice. Rafi is a true icon because of his humility, professionalism, and dedication to his trade, which go far beyond his technical prowess. His partnerships with renowned lyricists and composers resulted in some of the most well-known songs in Indian cinema history, enthralling viewers and defining a generation.
Rafi’s influence is still felt in today’s music, motivating a great deal of singers to pursue greatness. Mohammad Rafi’s name stands out as a beacon of creativity, passion, and artistry in the annals of music history. His melodies are still timeless masterpieces that make you happy and nostalgic with every note.
We honor not only the man but also the timeless ability of music to bring people together, promote the underprivileged, and inspire future generations as we think back on his incredible life and career. Mohammad Rafi may have left this world, but his voice continues to echo in the hearts of millions, ensuring that his legacy will endure for eternity.
FAQs
1. In what year did Muhammed Rafi born?
A: On December 24, 1924, in Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India, Muhammad was born.
2. When did Mohammed Rafi begin performing?
A: When Rafi was younger, he started singing at parties and competitions around his neighborhood. It was Shyam Sunder, the renowned music director, who found him and gave him his big break in the music business.
3. What musical genres did Mohammed Rafi perform?
A: Mohammad Rafi also sang songs from movies, ghazals, qawwalis, bhajans, and Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, and Marathi.
4. In his career, how many songs did Mohammed Rafi record?
Throughout his career, Mohammad Rafi has recorded approximately 7,400 songs in a variety of languages. In addition to recording songs for non-films, he sang in many Bollywood productions.
5. What are some of Mohammed Rafi’s well-known songs?
A: Among the many well-known songs in Rafi’s repertoire are “Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan” (from the movie “Mera Naam Joker”), “Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” (from the movie “Chaudhvin Ka Chand”), “Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hai” (from the movie “Guide”), and “Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe” (from the movie “Kanyadaan”).